Police shut down 8th Ave - Bomb Squad on scene

3:30pm on July 3.

Police have just shut down 8th Ave between Garfield and President Street due to a suspicious package on the street. The bomb squad is on the scene with several large trucks. I was out in the middle of 8th when the cops came down the avenue to close between Carroll and President. Everyone had to either leave the block or go inside. I'll post more details soon.

Cops on the street below continue to shout for people to stay off the 3 blocks that are shut down. One just said it was due to "a potential bomb scare."

Now shut down between Garfield and Union Streets.

The area shut down now extends from 7th Ave to Prospect Park West, Union St to at least Garfield (that's as far as I can see from my apt). A bunch of police trucks and bomb squad vehicles just came the wrong way down 8th and are parked between Carroll and President.

Just went to the Key Food on 7th and the police were there buying water, as they said, for the police "in the full body suits."

Police donning oxygen tanks in the middle of 8th Ave.

Yikes. I just drove down 7th Ave and was trying to figure out WTF was going on.

Police have dispersed (at least from in front of my bldg) and allowed people to cross to their apartments.

Husband just got home - now the police have 7th Ave closed. 8th Ave is still closed to traffic. Police helicopter hovering overhead.

Subject: thanks for the info

Thanks for the info! Currently out of town in San Antonio and caught wind of sitch from other message board. This is the only place where I was able to find out more.

i was wondering what all those offical cars and trucks where doing. i was parking and than all of suddenly the streets behind me close . i ask the cop who show up. he told me to walk along .

Subject: the scoop

the official word is that it was a horrible sky-diving accident gone wrong. apparantly a few dozen people noted seeing a guy falling from way higher than any building in the area, some even heard him screaming. he landed somewhere around carroll street, but i'm not certain. the bomb scare stuff is just boring filler to keep people from crowding.

more as i get word

-turrg

Subject: Re: the scoop

turgg wrote: the official word is that it was a horrible sky-diving accident gone wrong.

wait, REALLY? who sky dives in the city? absurd!

There was a report earlier on the local news about a skydiving accident, but it wasn't in Park Slope. There were far too many cops with hazmat/bomb gear than for a skydiving accident. Time will tell.

Onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn is saying what we've been hearing: there was a suspicious package found (OTBKB says it was a suitcase).

My building super, who was talking to the cops, said that it was delivered by the Postal Service. Who knows.

People are walking freely up and down 8th Ave and I just saw the three suit-wearing cops (which I assumed made them important) walking away with their coats off. Crisis averted/solved?

Subject: union still blocked

I heard multiple packages from a super on Union; at least one on montgomery from someone living there.

Firefighters told me straight up, suspicious package; got both stories from various cops (accident, packages).

Nothing on any news channel, of course.

actually, right now a couple of pretty serious looking cops are measuring an (apparently empty) suitcase, right next to blue apron....

just opened union sidewalks, except on SE corner of union, where police are talking. /

Subject: bomb scare?

no traffic on 8th or 7th Ave. no foot traffic on 7th, or union or carroll...

now 'tis. when i had posted, i was a bit premature on the opening top of union/8th.

Subject: eight avenue

8thandPrez wrote: Police donning oxygen tanks in the middle of 8th Ave.

there was at least one black suitcase on eight avenue, in a cirle of yellow police tape at around 4.p.m. - a small hazmat unit nearby, investigating it, the police did not allow the resident to stay too long to observe how and when they took the suitcase with them, two hours later both the suitcase and the yellow tape were gone.

Subject: Re: union still blocked

roo wrote: I heard multiple packages from a super on Union; at least one on montgomery from someone living there.

Firefighters told me straight up, suspicious package; got both stories from various cops (accident, packages).

Nothing on any news channel, of course.

At around four in the afternoon on Eight Avenue, the police with the hazmat unit seemed to have information about six packages (I mentioned them that residents often leave suitcases behind on the curb when they move, but they said this time there were too many simultaneous packages, they were investigating one, the guy who went near had a hand-held X-ray device in his hand, and he was dressed in full hazmat suit - ironically 20 minutes earlier we could still walk by that very same black suitcase, but at that time they sent everyone away).

Subject: suitcase

8thandPrez wrote: Onlytheblogknowsbrooklyn is saying what we've been hearing: there was a suspicious package found (OTBKB says it was a suitcase).

My building super, who was talking to the cops, said that it was delivered by the Postal Service. Who knows.

No, the one I saw on Eight Avenue at around 4 p.m. was a discarded-looking suitcase, a large one, similar to what stewardesses use ... we walked by it at first, there were no Post Office related stickers attached, but it was right next to a Post Office Storage Box ... about 20 minutes later, they certainly investigated it very seriously ... but did not let us see what was in it, probably a bunch of unwashed socks ... we were asked to move on towards the Park.

i was joking to my friend at the time. when the cop didnt give us any info. i was saying hey look fire guys are here and so are the cops and closing all these blocks. the ambulances and fire guys are way behind the line where the cops blocking off the streets. I was thinking and saying to her ,must be some sort of prank bomb scare or something.

That's funny, because one of the big bomb squad trucks that drove away had about 10 suitcases and bags tied to the front hood. I was wondering why that was the case, but maybe they were collecting these stray bags from the neighborhood?

8thandPrez wrote: That's funny, because one of the big bomb squad trucks that drove away had about 10 suitcases and bags tied to the front hood. I was wondering why that was the case, but maybe they were collecting these stray bags from the neighborhood?

nyc's finest!

I wonder if it was just a drill. I can't think of any other reason why it would'nt have been on the news.

mc wrote: I wonder if it was just a drill. I can't think of any other reason why it would'nt have been on the news.

good point
otherwise local telly news would have been all over it on a slow news day/holiday weekend

Union was closed to Sixth Ave, preventing me and my coop shopping from getting done at 6:30pm

Subject: Re: the scoop

turgg wrote: the official word is that it was a horrible sky-diving accident gone wrong. apparantly a few dozen people noted seeing a guy falling from way higher than any building in the area, some even heard him screaming. he landed somewhere around carroll street, but i'm not certain. the bomb scare stuff is just boring filler to keep people from crowding.

more as i get word

-turrg

Agreed alafairnadia. Turgg's comments are indeed absurd. try using your head. come on....really, 1. as pointed out, skydiving in the city? the odds yo! and 2. 'boring filler'? you must be a F'ing douche bag. thank god we are all not as oblivous as you.

Subject: Any information on yesterday's police action in Park Slope?

As I was walking from Grand Army Plaza down to 7th Avenue on Union Street at 4 PM on July 3, 2006 in unpleasant humidity, a frustrated cop from the 78 Precinct barked at me, "go to the park! You must go to the park!" Clueless, I asked him why I must walk back up the hill to Prospect Park. My question threw the cop in a rage. (Perhaps Mr. Cop, who seemed chock full of a violent, explosive anger, was the real tick-tick-ticking time bomb in the neighborhood?) After more painfully confused communication, I walked back up to Prospect Park in search of pleasant police officers. (Apparently, working in full police uniform in July’s heat, continually bombarded by pedestrians’ questions, is not fun.) I heard that police continued to section of blocks and send helicopters until 7 PM in the evening. Does anyone have information on what motivated the police to take action? Does anyone know what they discovered last night – if anything?

I finally found a little bit of info, but it wasn't very helpful.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/432369p-364306c.html